My new story
by PineappleLovesToWrite
Summary: Well basically this is a random story which I hope to continue with for a long amount of time. I just hope you guys enjoy! Rated T just because I can. XD
1. Chapter 1

I am surrounded by darkness. Eerie whispers fill my ears. A ghostly fog appears around my legs and it travels up to my neck. I am being cocooned in darkness. The fog snakes tighter and tighter around me until I'm gasping for oxygen.

I am suddenly thrown back into reality and I wake up in my hut. I then realize that I was just experiencing a nightmare, I have gotten used to the horrific visions. My hut, which is made from simple ply wood and nails. The only window in my hut is a gaping hole in the wall which has been clumsily covered by some old fabric. The fabric sways back and forth due to the gentle draft that is seeping into my hut from outside. The floor has neither carpets nor wood, all that the floor bares is the earth. I prop myself onto my elbows and blow out my cheeks.

"Why am I a victim of such horrifying visions?" I whisper to myself.

I look over to the gaping hole (known as my window) and I see that dawn is just starting to spill over the distant hills. I let out a deep sigh and pull myself from my bed, which is just a wooden shelf and another piece of old fabric. I trudge over to the window and pull the fabric to the side so that I can witness the sunrise. It is magnificent. Deep crimson and orange beams of light stretch over the distant hills and into the atmosphere, only to be followed by the golden orb. The birds have awoken and they start to sing their beautiful morning song. And I watch as they swoop in front of the sunrise, their silhouettes dancing across the sky. Amazing.

Once the picturesque show has finished I stumble over to my chest of draws, which is next to my bed and gingerly lift the lid up. Inside are my day clothes. My day clothes consist of my worn jeans which have ripped in the knee, a black vest, and my hunting jacket, which is made from a musty brown leather. I grab my day clothes and shove them in my hunting bag. I then slip on my worn in boots and head outside. The ground is damp and crisp. I make my way over to Oliver, my horse, who is eating some of the fresh grass.

"Hey buddy, let's go." I whisper. He gives a quiet whinny in reply, then he lies down onto the crisp grass and I climb onto his back. With me being short, I can't just hop on like any other person can. Once I've gained my balance and get the hunting bag secured around my wrist, I dig my heels into Oliver's side and give a loud grunt. And we are instantly galloping towards the forest.


	2. Chapter 2

I dismount Oliver and he goes over to his favourite patch of grass, which he starts to nibble on gratefully. I make my way over to the lake which has been illuminated by the sunrise. As I start to wash myself in the cool water I hear a snap of a twig behind me. I duck down into the reeds and peer out into the forest, my eyes searching for where the snapping came from. I see it. A majestic buck steps out of the shadows and reveals its strong antlers. Luckily for me, my bow is in reaching distance, and the buck seems to be relaxed. So, as carefully as I can, I reach for my bow without making a sound. I load it. Aim. Shoot. The arrow pierced through the bucks chest and into its heart. Dead.

"Yes!" I hiss to myself

I finish washing myself and pull on my day clothes, and then jog over to my latest kill. I grab the buck's antlers and heave it over to the bank of the lake. I then take out my knife and start to skin and chop. Once the skinning is complete i pull my jeans up to my knees and wade out into a shallow part of the lake, carrying the buck with me. As the skin-less buck rests in the shallow area the water around it starts to seep into crimson. _Great _I think to myself _I'm going to have to wash again. _

Chapter 2

By the time I and Oliver get back to the hut, the sun has started to dip back down into the distant hills, signalling night. Oliver is outside and sleeping soundly and I am storing my latest kill into the food chest. Before I left the forest I picked up twigs and other wood-based items that would work well on the fire. I didn't ride Oliver home because the buck was placed on his back. So I just walked and Oliver followed me. Now I've stored the rest of the buck meat I set up my fire and cook up its liver. It doesn't take long for the purple organ to change into a musty brown, signalling that it's cooked. I sit in the corner of my hut with the liver and watch aimlessly as the fire flickers and dies down. After I've eaten the bucks' liver I slip into my night clothes which consists of long baggy trousers which are made from different patches of fabric and my black vest. I lie onto my shelf and my eyes start to droop. And I fear what visions the night will bring...

_An ear piercing scream fills the air. And I watch helplessly as the shadows start to crawl up my body. Where ever the shadows touch, a brutal burning sensation travels. Then the eerie fog appears which cocoons me and as it gets denser the burning sensation gets even more unbearable. And once again I am gasping for oxygen._

I wake up screaming and I have to cover my mouth. I don't want to go back into my torturing slumber, ever again. I prop myself onto my elbows and look towards the window. Strangely enough, dawn has pasted and the sun's light is seeping through the window. _Great, I've missed the best part of my day _I think to myself. I sit up and yawn, a sharp stab of pain echo's in my chest. I look down only to find that my torso is soaked in crimson…

I start to feel my breathing get faster and deeper. I'm panicking. I look up at the ceiling and close my eyes tight.

"Please don't be real" I beg myself in a deep whisper. "_Please!_"

I look a down again, there is no more blood. I lift up my vest just to be sure. No blood. Not even a scratch. _Oh great. I'm going insane!_ I think to myself.

I haul myself up and shove my day clothes on. _I need to get away. I need to get away from this place. _I pack up my bow and arrows and the rest of the buck meat, and head towards Oliver, who is standing with is muscles tensed and ears pricked upright. As soon as he sees me he trots over in a fast gait and immediately lies down at my feet- signalling for me to mount. Once I'm up on his back I lean over so I can whisper into his ears.

"Let's get out of here buddy"

As soon as the words left my lips, Oliver is galloping. Towards the distant hills.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After Oliver has been galloping for at least an hour, fatigue starts so take over his limbs and he slows down until he's at a very slow walk. I dismount Oliver and trudge over to a large oak tree which looks ancient. Once I reach the tree I look over to Oliver who seems exhausted. I click my tongue to tell him that it's ok, we can stop now, and without hesitation he weakly strides over. His dark brown coat is steaming with sweat and his bottom lip is hanging clumsily followed by his tongue. We need to find water. He flops onto the damp terrain and rests his neck onto my lap. I stroke his mane and whisper soothing sounds to him. His head starts to get heavier on my lap and his eyes start to droop, then his breathing starts to get deeper. I find it challenging to not fall asleep myself, but I remind myself of how my mind plays manipulating tricks in my slumber. So instead of sleeping I decide to caress Oliver's neck with gentle strokes and keep my eyes sharp for any shelter.

Oliver's deep breathing starts to get into a normal rhythm. He has awoken.

"Hey buddy. Have a nice sleep?" I smile to him. He gives his usual whinny in reply and hauls himself up from the damp terrain. I mount onto his back and we start our trek for survival.

After what feels like forever, I see something. It's not shelter. But either way I'm intrigued to see what it is. Oliver senses what direction I'm looking and turns towards the bewildering thing that lies around 7 meters away. As we gain upon the thing, I start to see what it is. It's a girl. She is curled up in a tight ball on the muddy terrain and trembling. I dismount Oliver and make sure that he keeps close. I kneel down beside the girl and gently tap her on the shoulder. She jumps at my touch and sits up straight, taking me in. She has light brown hair which is matted in clumps, deep brown eyes with an odd ring of green in the iris, her skin looks slightly tanned and she appears to be around my age.

"Are you ok?" I say as comfortingly as I can. She just stares at me blankly. "What's your name?"

"Who are you?" she hisses quietly.

"I'm a girl who found you curled up in a ball in the middle of nowhere and I'm trying to help you"

She adjusts he gaze behind me and stares in bewilderment at Oliver.

"What is that?" She asks quizzically,

"Thatis Oliver. He's my horse and a great mode of transport." I laugh

"Oh" she says. She looks down at the ground.

"So. Are you going to tell me who you are and why you were curled up into a tight ball- trembling in the middle of no-where?"

"Oh yeah. Where are my manners? My name is Mia Dalton. I'm 16 years of age and I am here because I live here." She says in a matter-of-factly way. "So. What's your name?"

"My name isn't important… So, would you like to come with me and Oliver instead of living here on your own?" I ask trying to change the subject.

"Sure. Why not.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Me, Oliver and our new companion- Mia, start to head out further and further into the unknown, constantly gaining towards the distant hills. I decide that I and Mia take turns riding Oliver, so that we may rest our tired limbs. Mia rides first, however I keep close to Oliver, just in case she decides to make a run for it. However I highly doubt it, because she seems trustworthy. I always apply 'the eye test' to people, to make sure if they're loyal or not. As well as some other features of course, like their body language and how their hands look etc.… I guess that could sound unusual, however it seems to work because Mia hasn't tried to abandon me, and I don't recon she will.

After an hour of dragging my tired body over the irregular and dry terrain I climb up onto Oliver's back and Mia walks beside him. The ground suddenly sounds damper because I can hear Oliver's hooves loosen up the ground beneath them. _Squelch, squelch, and squelch. _The sound starts to become melodious and I find that my tired eyes start to droop.

_I'm riding Oliver and Mia is still walking beside us. Everything seems normal, that's good. However, suddenly Mia stops dead in her tracks, raising her arms- forcing Oliver to stop with her. I start to hear an eerie grinding sound and Mia's neck starts to crack at a painfully slow rate. Once her soft brown eyes meet mine, they start to roll into the back of her head and her mouth opens into an eerie grimace as it starts to foam hot sticky blood. Her skin starts to flake away and it turns into vapour. The fog has returned. All that is left of her once slim frame is her a shadowy resemblance of where her eyes used to be. Her translucent form shoves me off Oliver and onto the swampy terrain, I land on my rear with a loud thump and she floats over Oliver and starts to coil herself around me. Cocooned once again, I'm gasping for oxygen._

I wake to feel Mia's gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, can I get onto Oliver now please?" She asks.

I just reply with a simple nod, I slide off Oliver's warm back and land onto the muddy ground and i hear a sharp squelch as some brown liquid spurges from the ground and into my face. With trembling hands I help Mia onto Oliver.

"Thanks. Do you mind if I catch 60 winks?" she yawns.

"Sure. Help yourself. I think I've had enough of sleeping for one day." I mumble tiredly. _What's wrong with me? Mia would never hurt me!_ I think to myself annoyed that my mind would play such an evil trick on my imagination.

After an hour of trudging I turn to Mia, who is lying numbly on the warm surface of Oliver's back. Half of her face is embedded with Oliver's long winter coat. She looks so peaceful, and I like it that way, so I decide that she can stay put on Oliver's back and I will keep walking, because she seems at peace with the world and I _never _want to return into my manipulating slumber. _Ever. _I watch as the sun starts to dip down and as it begins to cast the picturesque light show of crimsons and oranges. After that the rocky orb starts to rise- bringing billions of ancient stars with it. I let out a sigh and start to shiver as the night's coldness sinks its way into my skin, creating goose bumps. As my sigh passes my lips I watch as it is transformed into vapour. I waft it away as it reminds me of the slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

We have been travelling through the night; Mia has been sleeping peacefully on Oliver's warm back. I and Oliver have been keeping each other company whilst trudging through the squishy swamp-like earth. Oliver's hooves create deep tracks, if I was hunting and he was the deer, I would be able to find him easily. Every so often, my breath evaporates into the air, and I would watch it dissipate. As the lightshow of dawn starts to spill over the distant hills and into the atmosphere, Mia's relaxed body starts to shuffle and her breathing pattern becomes regular. 'Hey, sleep well?'

'Yeah' Mia yawns. She sits up and stretches her arms into the air being followed by a relieved sigh and grunt. I glance my gaze over to Oliver and notice that his eyes are drooping and his mouth is panting with his dry tongue clumsily flopping along with each step. 'Oliver looks tired, we should let him rest.' Mia says with a hint of worry in her voice.

'Yeah, after all he has been walking all night…' my voice trails off with a yawn. To be honest I would like a sit down myself.

My eyes search the empty swamp land for anywhere to rest, and almost immediately I spot a small shelter. _Shelter!_ 'MIA! LOOK! OVER THERE!' I point towards the new found shelter and jump up and down excitedly. 'Mia! Do you see it?' I can see the excitement of her face as she spots it. Her tanned face lights up and her mouth drops open. I forget that she has been living alone in a swampy field all her life and she hasn't seen an actual building ever. She snaps her head to me and squeals

'Let's go!'

And with that we head towards the shelter. Even Oliver seems excited, in the result of his gait becoming faster and faster, so that I have to jog to keep up, my limbs are screaming for me to stop, but my brain is screaming for me to keep jogging. As we gain distance on the shelter I can make out what it looks like and what it's made of. The walls have been fashioned upon a dark oak wood, supporting the walls are cobble slabs which continue up along the corners, the windows are a tinted pale colour with lead borders which divide it into four sections and the door is also made of the dark oak wood. Once we reach the door Mia slides off Oliver's comforting warm back, and she approaches the door knob; placing her hand gently around the small orb she gives it a sharp twist and the door slowly swings open, bearing an eerie screech with it. Inside the shelter bears several storage cabinets, a faded blue couch with a dull green rug awkwardly placed in front of it. Apart from a dull yellow light hanging from the ceiling that's all the shelter has to offer.

'Looks good enough for me' Mia says.

'Yarp!' I reply with a smile. Mia just stares at me in a blank awe, and as if on cue we drop to the floor and laugh like there's no tomorrow, rolling of our backs and clutching our stomachs. Oliver brings us back to reality with a soft snort and his usual whinny as he starts to walk into the shelter. I stand up still giggling and extend my arm and hand down to Mia. She grabs it and hauls herself up.

I can't help but snigger as she wanders into the shelter, bopping her head up and down as she goes.

'What?' she snaps, trying to keep her laughter contained as well.

'Nothing…Nothing…' I manage to get out, without having another laughing fit. I can't remember the last time I laughed and I enjoy it so I intend to keep laughing and never let it die.

The floor of the shelter is also made from the stunning dark wood; however, it has been planked and polished. My eyes instantly look towards the couch and without further warning I make a bee-line towards it and dive, and land. As my limp body makes contact with the soft fabric an explosion of dust envelops me and I feel my body being cocooned in dust. _Cocooned. _I feel my throat become thick and my lungs scream in pane as I inhale, and once again I'm gasping for oxygen. 'Mia! Help! Please!' I scream in-between sobs and gags. 'Please!' Suddenly I feel my body leaving the couch and into a pair of arms. Arms that defiantly don't belong to Mia.

**OOH WHO DO THESE ARMS BELING TOO? REVIEW PLEASE AND I HOPE YOUR ENJOYING WITH GREAT ENJOYMENT PEOPLES! XD**


	6. Chapter 6

**SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO GET UP HERE AND SORRY THAT ITS SO SHORT! I'LL GET ONTO WRITTING CHAPTER 7 RIGHT AWAY!**

Chapter 6

I creak my neck upwards in an attempt to see whose arms I'm situated in, however the suffocating explosion of dust still lingers in between myself and my carrier; blinding my view with its stinging particles. I'm still screaming Mia's name in between gags and sobs relentlessly. After what seems like forever, my throat feels raw so I decide to stop being so pathetic and shut my mouth.

Suddenly I feel gravity take its toll, as I'm slumped onto the hard, dark wood; bearing a soft thump as my limp body makes contact. The dust starts to settle back onto the faded furniture and I sit up against the wall, pulling my legs towards my chest and wrapping my arms around my knees. I let my head fall and rest into the petit gap between my hyper ventilating chest and my limp legs. A pathetic shudder and a sigh escape my lips and I wince at the sudden stinging pain in my throat. Just as my eyes start to close I feel a pair of hands gently shake me back to reality and I lift my head up groggily to find a pair of eyes which have been glazed over with fear which are staring into my own.

'Hey are you ok?' he asks with fear laced in his words.

I don't reply. I just take in his features. His hair is a dark brunette and has grown short and slightly shaggy. His eyes are of a fiery hazel with odd flecks of green in their irises and the glazing of fear has some-what vanished. He wears a simple red top and dark jeans'. I shift my gaze back to his eyes and my brain automatically registers that he's trustworthy. I feel myself being shaken again.

'Are you ok?' he asks for a second time, however this time his laced fear has been replaced with a protective tone.

'Wh- who are y-you?' I manage to choke out; again I wince at the pain in my throat. And the protective look in his eyes grows stronger.

'My name is Ross, and I just saved you form suffocating on that damn sofa. If I had a penny for every time I've told them to clean this room-' I cut him off.

'There are others?'


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Ross stands with a grin on his face and offers me his hand. I grab it and haul myself up.

"Thanks for that" I mumble with slight embarrassment from being so pathetic, his grin grows wider.

"Whatever for?" he asks, his childish grin grows wider and I playfully punch his arm.

"You know… for _saving _me from suffocating" I reply. I hear a forced cough come from behind us and I see that Mia is leaning against Oliver and her arms crossed over her chest.

"Now, sorry to interrupt you two, but I and Oliver are dehydrated and famished. Don't suppose _he _has any food?" Mia sighs giggling sarcastically.

"_He _has a name" Ross corrects Mia- his grin has vanished as he continues. "My name is Ross and if I were you I would be careful how you use your words as they will dictate whether or not you will be receiving food and water from me. Luckily your friend here has shown that you are neither bandits nor killers." I am surprised by his sudden serious tone.

"Sorry." Mia mumbles, bowing her head down. "I- We are just so hungry. All we have to eat is raw buck meat, and eating that is a death sentence…"

Ross' eyes widen and he giggles "You… You have _raw _buck meat! Well luckily for you, here in my community we have all the _cooked _food you will ever need!" I remember as he said there were others before and I decide that now is a good time to question his on these _others. _

_"_Ross, you said before, that there were others… where are they?" Ross turns to face me and I find that he is staring into my eyes again.

"They are down here. Follow me." He signals with his hand for me to follow him.

"Mia, please shut the door and allow Oliver to rest in here." I say to Mia. She replies with a nod and does as I say. Oliver lies on the faded rug which is next to the sofa. I follow Ross and Mia joins us once she has finished locking the door. Ross leads us down a narrow corridor and stops to open what appears to be a trap door which leads to a cellar. He leans down and unlatches the trap door.

"Go on girls. Ladies first" He gestures for us to go down and I gingerly place my foot on the first step, it creaks slowly as I allow my weight to rest onto it. The steps seem to be secure, so I continue down the stairs. Once I reach the bottom I hear a male voice whisper-

"Ross? Is that you?"

I don't answer; I just wait for Mia to join me at my side. After a couple of minutes of standing in the dark I hear Ross come down the stairs and he flickers a light on. The cellar appears to be well furnished and carpeted. The carpet is a deep blue, with several bean bags in the corner. Several cupboards line one wall which must contain the food and water. Some book shelves corner of a section for a reading area. Ross strides towards the bookshelves and bursts into laughter.

"Why are you hiding down here with the lights off?!" he exclaims.

"Because, we heard a girl scream upstairs and we panicked! Sorry…"

"Well luckily enough that _girl_ is ok now, no thanks to you." Ross says to the anonymous boy behind the bookshelves. "Well come on out now. Don't worry they don't bite!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

'Hi my name's Declan the new boy greets us. He holds out his hand and I and Mia look at it quizzically.

'You shake it. It's called a hand shake' Ross giggles. I watch as Mia grabs Declan's hand and shakes it up and down with a lot of force; making Declan to lose his balance and topple backwards.

'Oh sorry' Mia mumbles laughing and we all join in a chorus of laughter.

'It's ok' Declan stands up and brushes his trousers even though they're clean. Declan is taller than all of us but only by a couple of inches. He has short straight brown hair and eyes which are deep emerald with hints of blue dotted in them. I'm brought out of thought when I hear Declan ask me a question,

'Who are you exactly?' My throat still burns from my recent panic attack, so I am unable to choke out an answer. I look at Ross and point to my neck; he seems to understand because he starts to answer.

'Don't worry, they're not one of them, nor a bandit, they looked as if they were lost and desperate to find refuge. So when we heard her scream I ran up there to see who they really were. They had a horse which is upstairs resting, and one of them was trying to work the old tap, where as this one was on that damn sofa and was screaming and gagging on all that damn dust!' Ross explains. Declan slowly processes the new information in his mind and scrunches his face up.

'What do you think _she_ will think about you bringing more mouths to feed down here? When there are threats around every corner now-a-days?' Declan sighs.

'Oh come on! She won't care, and either way we have enough food and water supplied around the area that we could feed ten army's!' Ross exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.

'We're sorry if we've caused any trouble…' Mia starts 'It's just, we have been travelling for days now without food or water and Oliver, that's the horses name by the way, has been carrying us; well me mostly whilst we rested.'

'You haven't caused any trouble at all! Declan is just being to…to… wary and we both don't want anyone else to be hurt, that's all.'

'_Else_?' Mia questions 'Who _else_ has been injured?' Ross sighs and Declan bows his head down in deep thought and morn.

'There was a girl before you came, she was called Kayleigh…' Declan trails off.

'We were out getting supplies, and we got chased by those… those, things… and well, we couldn't save her… she got murdered and torn apart in front of us, and we just _had _to get back here to safety…' Ross finishes.

'I'm sorry to hear that…' Mia says patting Ross and Declan on the shoulder. 'Now I hope you don't mind me asking, but before you said '_she' _wouldn't care about us staying here with you guys, or something like that. Who is 'she' exactly?'

'Oh we were talking about our other companion. She's called Rachel. She's out hunting at the minuet. She will probably be back soon.' Suddenly, we hear quiet footsteps coming from upstairs... and they're heading towards the cellar.

**SORRY THIS CHAPTER IS SO POOPY AND YARPLONGSHIZLEWAY... I AM SUFFERING FROM WRITTERS BLOCK XD**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

I sit in one of the bean bags in the far corner of the room and watch as Declan and Ross reach inside the cupboards and when their arms resurface, they're holding a bottle of clear water and a can of what appears to be meat. Declan offers Mia the water and she takes it willingly; gulping it down she thanks Declan. I think that Declan and Ross are going to be good and trustworthy towards us. It's this 'Rachel' character that I still need proven. Ross has opened the can of meat and has started to dish it out into a bowl, however Mia doesn't wait for him to finish; she grabs the can from his grasp and uses her hands to shove the canned produce into her mouth. Declan looks at her in awe and Ross bursts into laughter. Mia looks at them slightly embarrassed.

'Thank you, it tastes good'

This only increases Ross's laughter and Declan has a smirk on his face. Mia looks at me and swallows; looking back at the boys she says,

'I think she would like some, she hasn't eaten nor drank for a longer time than myself. I'd hate for her to go any more without eating' she exclaims. The boys nod and Declan hands me a bottle.

'Would you like yours in a bowl? Or would you like to eat it caveman style?' Ross chuckles, whilst opening the can of meat.

'In a bowl please.' I say smirking. He nods and shakes his ever grinning head and continues to scoop the meat. Declan springs up conversation with Mia, and I allow myself to relax and I feel my limp body sink into the bean bag; my eyes start to droop.

_I have awoken in the basement. However I am alone. I push myself up and survey my surroundings. The furniture, walls, and carpets have adopted a dull grey tone and my vision blurs slightly when I move. I try to move my feet, put they feel too heavy; as if they weigh a tonne. Suddenly I hear footsteps come from upstairs, and the trap door flies open. Three pairs of legs slowly reveal themselves to be Ross, Mia and Declan. They walk towards me in unison and stop only a mere five inches from me. They turn away from me. I want to ask them what's going on, but my lips seem to be entwined together. Ross, Mia and Declan start to bend backwards; as if they're forming a bridge. However, once they reach the bridge position, their bodies continue folding. I can hear the breaking of bones reverberating in the air. And I watch as they're bodies fall limp. I think they're dead, however their bodies snap in half and I'm splattered with warm, thick blood. The halves of their bodies slowly start to vaporise and transform into the pale cloud. And in a flash of light I am cocooned once again and I'm gasping for oxygen._

I wake up to find the fiery hazel eyes of Ross, staring into my own. A wave of relief flushes over his face.

'Are you ok?' he asks.

'I don't know…'


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

A couple of hour's pass before Ross leaves my side, he keeps asking me if I'm ok, and saying that I need to eat or drink something and I just shake my head slightly. I know it must seem rude of me, but I just feel the need to shut out everyone and think to myself. So I just sit on the beanbags with my legs pulled up to my chest and my arms hugging them tightly. I hear the voices of my new companions talk to me and ask me questions but they just dissolve into a soft muffle. I keep my gaze down at the deep carpet and refuse to let my eyes close, as they will drag me back into my manipulating slumber. Suddenly the muffle of voices disperse into nothing and all I hear is the shuffle of footsteps, and they're heading in my direction. I still refuse to let my gaze shift. I feel a gentle hand tap on my shoulder, but I still keep my gaze locked down cast. I feel the tap again and this time there is more force put with it, nonetheless, I still keep my gaze locked on the carpet. The tapping stops and I feel someone grab my jaw line and yank it in their eye sight. Making me wince at the pain. A small slim girl stands before me. I don't recognise her face.

'This is Rachel.' I hear Declan announce. I point to my throat and shake my head, trying to signal that I can't talk. Rachel has soft blonde hair which falls just below her shoulders. Her eyes sparkle a fantastic shade of blue. However they're not sparkling out of happiness. She is holding my bow and has it loaded so the tip of the arrow is gently piercing my cheek. I'm frozen with sudden panic. I hear another shuffle of feet and close my eyes, waiting for the arrow to cut through my face. However this does not happen. Actually, quite the opposite. I open my eyes again and see that Ross, Mia and Declan are standing in front of me; shielding me from any harm.

'What on Earth were you going to do that for?!' Mia exclaims, throwing her hands in the air.

'Don't question me girl!' Rachel barks back, aiming the bow for Mia's head. I'm frozen to the spot and I can't talk for fear my throat will become as raw as my buck meat, so I hope Mia or someone else says or does something before the unthinkable happens. Ross steps forwards and Rachel moves her aim to him. He doesn't seem to care. He grabs my bow and arrow from Rachel's grasp and hands it to me. I nod a thank you and he turns back to Rachel.

'Now. We don't want to do anything stupid now do we? These two girls are in our care and I intend that they shall stay with us; in our care until they're ready to leave.' Ross says boldly. Rachel shoots us all a look and sighs. She drops her tense shoulders.

'Sorry… Welcome to the family.'


End file.
